Staff Reporter| Reports from within the Bulawayo Province of the Joice Mujuru led Zimbabwe People First indicate that the war on who will be the Vice President of the party from Matabeleland region has got very dirty with one aspirant resorting to hiring a hit squad and members of the police against supporters of rival candidates.

Very reliable sources who would not be mentioned “for security reasons” say Bulawayo Provincial Chairperson Pastor Esnath Bulayani this week allegedly hired a group of thugs to attack a member of the youth executive committee who is a known critic of her after the youth member mobilised party members in the province to reject her as Vice President.

The group of thugs said to be led by a radical Bulawayo shebeen queen only identified as Dhidhizela, initially went to the home of the youth member but couldn’t get him as he was away in South Africa and threatened the youth member’s wife with unspecified action in front of their children if he is not stopped from disturbing Bulayani’s moves to be Mujuru’s Vice President.

When the youth member heard of the harassment of his family he reportedly verbally attacked the Provincial Chairlady in the party social media WhatsApp chat group.

In retaliation, Chairlady Bulayani went out to make a report with the police against the youth member on charges of defamation of character.

Sources allege Bulayani in the company of “Dhidhizela” voluntarily drove members of the police force and Central Intelligence Office to the youth member’s house to effect an arrest. However, he was again not found in the property.

The infighting in the party in Bulawayo is reported to be very intense so much that Mujuru has been invited to the City to meet with the provincial committee this Sunday to try and rescue the party from an imminent collapse due to the internal fighting.

Bulayani would however not comment on the matter.